1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transportation processing system, suitable for filing and packaging facilities incorporating filling apparatus and packaging apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
(A) Article Transportation System
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 58-82801 discloses a high speed filling apparatus for packaging bags, in which a filling apparatus is arranged for filling an article into package bags.
The disclosed prior art includes a supply portion 3 including a star wheel 3A for introducing packaging bags 1 into a filling process path 2 and a feeding out portion 4 including a star wheel 4A for feeding filled packing bags 1 out of the filling process path 2, as shown in FIG. 9.
However, in the prior art, the supply portion 3 and the feeding out portion 4 are arranged on a plane common to the filling process path 2 and the positions outside of the filling process path 2. With such arrangement, the filling process path 2 is defined on a rotary table, and the areas at the periphery of the rotary table occupied by the supply portion 3 and the feeding out portion 4 become substantially large. As a result, the effective processing angle .theta.A becomes small (e.g. 260.degree.). Therefore, in order to obtain a sufficient processing path length, the facility inherently become large.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a transportation system which can provided a larger effective processing area of a process path in connection with a supply portion and a feeding out portion of an annular processing path for articles, and thus can provide a longer effective process path length without requiring increasing of the size of a facility.
(B) Filling Apparatus
Conventionally, there have been proposed filling apparatuses, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-82801 or, in the alternative, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56-23401. Theses filling apparatuses comprise a filling process path for filling an article or articles in a container and other process path for performing other processes for the container and connected to the filling process path. The content to be placed within the container is filled during transportation of the container. Also, the container is subject other processes during transportation of the container.
Here, the above-mentioned other processes include a cleaning process for cleaning empty containers by pressurized air, a capping process for fitting caps on the filled containers, and a heat sealing process for forming a heat seal on the openings of the filled containers.
However, the foregoing prior art is inadequate on the following points 1 and 2.
1 In the filling apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-82801,the machines are separated for the filling process, and each of the other processes. Hence, a plurality of machines are interconnected requiring substantial space for installation. PA1 2 In the filling apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56-23401,the filling process path and paths for the other processes are provided within a single annular area (rotary table), thereby decreasing the required installation space. However, since only the processing means is provided in each process path, the processing capacity of the overall filling apparatus tends to be determined by the processing means of the lowest productivity. In this prior art, in order to obtain higher processing performance, it is necessary to provide a plurality of processing apparatuses in each process path. However, when a plurality of processing means are provided for each of a plurality of process paths included in single annular area, it is necessaly to increase the installation space. PA1 1 Before extending through the central opening of the articles to be positioned, a preliminary operation for aligning the guide pin with the article is required. PA1 2 Upon inserting the guide pin into the central openings of the articles, complicate mechanical means, such as a cam mechanism are required for driving the guide pin toward the central openings of the articles to be positioned. PA1 an annular process path for processing an article; PA1 a supply portion for instructing the article into the process path; PA1 a feeding out portion for feeding out the article from the process path, the feeding out portion forming a series of transporting path of the article together with the process path and the supply portion; and PA1 at least one of the supply portion and the feeding out portion being arranged in an intersecting manner with the process path with an elevational level difference. PA1 a filling process path for filling a filling article in a container during transportation of the container therethrough; and PA1 a second process path for providing another process for the container during transportation of the container therethrough, PA1 the filling process path and the second process path being formed essentially into annular configuration and being arranged in the positional relationship that one is positioned inside of the other, PA1 a plurality of filling process means for filling a content in the container transported along the filling path, and a plurality of another process means for providing second process for the container transported along the second process path. PA1 a magnetic drawing means including a magnet provided around a positioning center of the supporting base and a magnet mounted on the article side for magnetically drawing the article onto the supporting base; and PA1 a magnetic coupling means for coupling the supporting base and the articles by means of a positioning pin driven by a magnetic drawing force or a magnetic repulsing force. PA1 1 The article is drawn about the positioning center of the supporting base by the magnetic drawing means and then coupled with the supporting base by the positioning pin of the magnetic coupling means. At this time, the magnet of the article side and the magnet of the supporting base side, which form the magnetic drawing means draw toward each other to substantially align the magnetic centers. As a result, the article can be roughly positioned about the positioning center on the supporting base in self-alignment. Accordingly, after being roughly positioned on the supporting base by the magnetic drawing means, the article is then coupled with the supporting base by the positioning pin of the magnetic coupling means. Namely, in advance of the coupling operation by the positioning pin, the article can be roughly positioned on the supporting base by the magnetic drawing means. Therefore, the positioning operation can be simplified and made easier. PA1 2 Since the positioning pin is driven by the magnetic drawing force or the magnetic repulsive force, it does not require a complicated mechanical drive mechanism, such as cam, the construction can be simplified. PA1 a first rotary body provided for rotation; PA1 a plurality of transporting means provided on the first rotary body with a circumferential regular interval and holding and transporting a holder receiving a container; PA1 a second rotary body being rotated in synchronism with the first rotary body; PA1 a plurality of guide members provided on the second rotary body with a circumferential regular interval and guiding radial movement of the holder; PA1 a magnetic arranged below the motion path of each of the guide members and drawing the holder engaging with the guide member to position the holder at a predetermined position in the radial direction; PA1 each of the transporting means including a pivoting arm provided on the first rotary body, a pivot mechanism for pivoting the arm in synchronism with rotation of the first rotary body, a holding member provided rotatably on the arm and holding the holder, and rotating mechanism for driving the holding member in synchronism with rotation of the first rotary body; and PA1 the transporting means transferring the holder held in the holding member to each of the guide members of the second rotary member by a pivoting motion of the arm and rotation of the holding member.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to enhance productivity of the filling process and other processes and at the same time minimize the installation space of the overall filling apparatus.
(C) Article Positioning Apparatus
Article positioning apparatuses are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56-52197 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-3760. This prior art includes guide pins extending from magnet devices. The guide pins extends through center holes of an annular metal strip or disk holders as articles to be positioned. Thereafter, the articles to be positioned are down onto the magnet device to be held thereon.
However, the above-mentioned prior art is inadequate on points 1 and 2 as follows.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to simplify the positioning operation and construction of the device for positioning the articles at desired positions on a support base.
(D) Article Processing Apparatus
Conventionally, known rotary type filling apparatuses include a rotary table and a guide members circumferentially disposed about the rotary table at regular intervals for supporting the containers.
In such a conventional rotary type filling apparatus, a supply star wheel and a feed out star wheel are provided adjacent to the rotary table. By rotation of the supply star wheel, the containers are supplied into respective guide members so that the guide members may support the containers. The containers supported by the guide members are then fed out of the rotary table by the feed out star wheel.
However, since the conventional guide members are fixed on the rotary table in the condition orienting engaging recesses engaged with the container radially outward, supplying and taking the containers for the guide members has to be performed to supply the container from the radially outside of the guide member and to take out the container toward radially outside.
Therefore, in the prior art, the opening mouth of the engaging recesses of the guide member are made larger so that supplying and taking out of the container to and from the guide member can be smoothly performed.
The necessity of the larger opening mouth of the engaging recesses of the guide member result in inaccurate positioning of the container held in the engaging recess.
In addition, as set forth above, since the conventional guide member receives and disposed of the container from the radially outside, it may have low applicability.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an article processing apparatus which can accurately position a container held in a holder, and can have high applicability.